Charge pumps are used in a variety of applications to boost a voltage from an input voltage source to a higher level to meet system requirements. Some charge pumps are used in low voltage systems and thus, have modest voltage boosting requirements. Other charge pumps are used in high voltage systems in which it can be more challenging to boost an input voltage to a level that is sufficient to meet the system requirements, particularly in applications in which the input voltage source is a relatively low voltage battery.
One example charge pump application is in motor control circuits to boost an input voltage to a level sufficient to drive a high side switch. For example, a charge pump capacitor can be charged to a level to generate a gate drive signal at a level sufficiently higher than the high side switch source terminal in order to turn on the high side switch.
Conventional charge pumps often require user input to change a circuit configuration and/or operational mode. The reliance on external circuits and/or inputs can, increase the cost, and/or adversely impact the efficient and accurate operation of such charge pumps.